Daniel Holgado has conquered the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia — Ayrton Senna circuit to win the 2026 Moto2 Brazilian GP. Mixed conditions and track degradation plagued the weekend, upending the entire Moto2 schedule. But despite the added Sunday pressure, Holgado went from Q1 to win the race. Read on to find out how he pulled it off in our Moto2 race results and weekend highlights.
Escrig Leads in Wet FP1 Session
Due to the downpour affecting the area, there was a slight delay to the Friday schedule. It was a sombre weekend for Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, with the tragic passing of beloved mechanic Roberto Lunadei. Both bikes of Senna Agius and Manuel González featured a touching tribute to the man affectionately known as ‘Roby’ throughout the paddock.
David Alonso stalled his CFMoto Aspar Team machine exiting the pit lane and had to walk the motorbike off the track. The #80 rider was able to rejoin the session but finished at the bottom end of the timeboard, along with José Antonio Rueda and Ayumu Sasaki.
With Luca Lunetta out on injury, Moto2 saw the return of Dennis Foggia for the SpeedRS Team. The Italian rider clocked a 1:31.467 in his personal best lap time. The action was already heating up between Mario Suryo Aji and Barry Baltus, the two swapping times and positions on track. Aji didn’t put a tyre wrong and finished third overall in the session. Meanwhile, Baltus had a small slide into the damp gravel at Turn 6.
Izan Guevara broke the Aji-Baltus battle, going fastest on the timesheet with a 1:30.171. However, Álex Escrig made a slow ascent up the timeboard before taking the top spot with less than ten minutes of FP1 remaining.
Arbolino Advances to Q2 After Super Practice Performance
With dark clouds threatening, it was a mad dash for Moto2 riders to make a dry run out for the Practice session. Tony Aborlino was quick to stamp out a flying lap, along with Aji and González. But it was the #14 on top. While on another fast leg, Arbolino had a minor altercation with Deniz Öncü between Turns 3 and 4.
Rain flags came with half an hour remaining in the session, catching riders out as it started to fall. The unfortunate honour of the first Moto2 crash of the weekend went to Arbolino’s REDS Fantic Racing teammate, Baltus. The #7 had a massive slide coming into Turn 13, Sector 4.
He was not the only victim claimed by the final sector. Zonta van den Goorbergh also came down after losing the rear wheel of his Momoven Idrofoglia RW Racing Team machine at the end of the session. The motorbike spun out from underneath the Dutch rider as he slid off into the gravel trap. Sergio García had a large wobble in the front end at Turn 9, forcing him to use the exit road to head back to the ITALJET Gresini Moto2 garage.
Alonso banked a super lap in the 1:24s to put him ahead of the pack. However, Arbolino bounced back up to beat that time by five tenths of a second, just as Jorge Navarro came down at Turn 4. In the end, Arbolino’s lap of 1:23.709 held up as he led himself and 13 other riders into Saturday’s Q2 session. That includes Celestino Vietti, who had technical issues and was forced to pull off the track after the checkered flag.
Guevara Fastest in Last Practice Session
The goal for the Free Practice 2 session was to gather as much data as possible. Alonso saved his motorcycle from throwing him off at Turn 1, deploying his airbag in the process.
Agius wasn’t quite as lucky in the same corner as the front slipped out from under him to careen into the gravel. Daniel Muñoz almost came unstuck through the chicane, García crashed in between Turns 1 and 2, and Escrig somersaulted into the gravel after setting the fastest lap of the session.
Of course, his time was deleted, leaving the battle up to González, Alonso, Aji, and Guevara. But it was the #28 for BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 who set the fastest time at the end of the session.
Holgado Claims Pole in Unprecedented Sunday Qualifying
After track surface repairs were required due to extensive deterioration, Moto2 qualifying was rescheduled to Sunday morning prior to the MotoGP Warm Up. There were some surprise names in Q1, including Holgado. The #96 rider immediately set the fastest lap and continued to improve his time attacks as he held off Baltus, Roberts, and García to hold onto the top spot. All four advanced to Q2, although Baltus had a huge save after the checkered flag.
No time was wasted getting out into Q2 with flying laps coming in fast. Alonso, Holgado, and Ángel Piqueras went straight to the top on their first time attacks. Öncü, while slowest in the session, showcased some impressive moves to save himself from a massive crash. González looked set to take pole position from Holgado. However, due to a moment at the end of Sector 3, he had to pull out, much to his annoyance.
Holgado managed to maintain the top spot to start on pole, setting an all-time lap record of 1:20.711. While celebrations were well-deserved in the CFMoto Aspar Team camp, it was a big triumph for Escrig and the Forward Factory Team as he secured his first front-row start. The #11 utilised a tow from Holgado to place himself in third.
A Battle For Full Points Comes Down to the Wire
After the shortened race in Thailand awarded half points, many riders were hoping to see out the full distance for the first time in the 2026 Moto2 season. Meanwhile, Escrig had a fantastic launch off the line into the first corner and took the lead. But Muñoz got an even better start, coming from 11th into the leading pack.
Iván Ortolá and Vietti rubbed shoulders, pushing the #13 down the order by several positions. Navarro slid out at Turn 6 while Piqueras took a small shortcut at Turn 11 and came off second best. But all eyes were on the front with at least eight riders battling for positions in the lead and second group.
Alonso came under pressure from Guevara and Arbolino, struggling for grip and pace. A few laps later, he lost two positions but regained them to hold onto fifth. Taiyo Furusato ended his Brazilian GP early, coming off at Turn 12 in a lowside crash.
With a few laps remaining, Holgado and Muñoz continued to battle between first and second. Muñoz closed the gap to take the lead, but Holgado took it back on the main straight and held it for the last two laps. González, who had been gaining on Escrig, finally got his opportunity to take the third place on the podium on the last lap. The front three were greeted by the checkered flag waved by Former Formula 1 driver, Felipe Massa.